I finally got a copy of the mini-series that was made from Ford Maddox Ford's The Good Soldier, shown on television years ago. The production featured Jeremy Brett, Robin Ellis, Susan Fleetwood, Vickery Turner, Elizabeth Garvie, Pauline Moran and John Ratzenberger [Cliff from Cheers].
I enjoyed it back then on Masterpiece Theatre and it is still just as good as I remembered it.
A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.
Oscar Wilde [1854-1900]
I have yet to see a single episode of Showtime's new major series, even though DirecTV has given me a year's free Showtime for my customer loyalty of five years. If I was HBO, I would buy every cable and satellite subscriber in the country Showtime for one year. The quality of the programming is so repetitive and B-level that I guarantee you no one would re-up.
I think it's funny that you name 6 people I've never heard of and one I have, and you identify only the one I know.
Not much on TV at this point but I am watching...
"Nurse Jackie" and "Daisy of Love" (think 'Masterpiece Theater', and then imagine the exact opposite"
Sorry BPH. The reason I identified John Ratzenberger was that I was surprised at the time that he was in a Masterpiece Theatre production. He stood out among the British cast like a wart on a witch's nose.
Jeremy Brett was Holmes in the long-running Sherlock Holmes series.
Last edited by patricia; July-9th-2009 at 05:13 PM.
A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.
Oscar Wilde [1854-1900]
I have yet to see a single episode of Showtime's new major series, even though DirecTV has given me a year's free Showtime for my customer loyalty of five years. If I was HBO, I would buy every cable and satellite subscriber in the country Showtime for one year. The quality of the programming is so repetitive and B-level that I guarantee you no one would re-up.
They have good boxing sometimes, they have Inside the NFL, which is quite good for those of us who're interested, and they have some good sports documentary-type stuff.
Not really sure what HBO has at this point that's so much better, although their track record certainly is far, far better, thanks to 'The Wire', 'Larry Sanders', etc.
Both HBO and Showtime have had their winners and losers but at least they are attempting to provide programs with content that the commercial ridden networks (including the cable ones) don't have the brains or courage to show.
OK, Damages, The Shield and Closer may be exceptions.
USA has done well. "Burn Notice" is still going strong, and that new doc show doesn't look bad.
I think this is Burn Notice's best season so far. I like how the bit characters keep reappearing -- the brother, the gunrunner with the grudge (great bluff in that one!), Barry the money launderer.... They're all really good.
So I've been re-watching The Wire, and into season two my dvd player starts to stall and sputter through scenes. I think, shit, this is what has been happening to maybe every 4th rental from Netflix, right?
But wait, I usually blame that on some fuckhead scraping the disc across his coffee table, or some other mishap related to improper handling techniques. The Wire is brand new, I own it, it is in pristine shape (I examined the disc for scuffs and what not and find uungots).
Monte, are you reading this? Do you know where this is heading?
I finally hooked up the Pete-endorsed multi-region Phillips dvd player, and all without screaming or breaking anything, or ruining my life!
The very same Wire disc now plays without a glitch. I'm so very pleased with myself.
The source of much of my trepidation was/is/has been the fact that nowadays you can hook these things up using at least three separate methods with totally different cable setups (I used the video in/video out, audio input triad).
Monte, are you reading this? Do you know where this is heading?
Ah hell. Now I have to send you my British comedy DVDs. OK, here's what is immediately available when you open your Monteflix account:
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace
The Complete Fast Show
Ruddy Hell, It's Harry and Paul (Series One)
People Like Us (Series One)
Look Around You (Series One)
The Mighty Boosh (Series 1-3)
Man to Man with Dean Learner
The I.T. Crowd (Series 1-3)
These two are extremely excellent! Richard Ayoade is a splendidly funny comic talent.
I watched a few episodes of The IT Crowd and it had some funny moments, but I just can't stand the really cheap, cheesy, generic 70's-era canned laugh tracks that some british shows use. Canned laugh tracks in general are bad, but cheap, cheesy, generic 70's era canned laugh tracks are the worst. I mean, would it kill them to get a live studio audience?
Actually that was a live studio audience! That's how Graham Linehan operates. On your side of the pond you probably haven't heard of Father Ted which was his claim to fame.
Q: 'How do you start free improvising?'
A: 'Well I usually start on D as a matter of fact'
"I wandered alone in the desert and cried "Oh Lord! Oh Lord! What hast thou done, lately?"
"Thought is not a saffron-robed monk pissing in the snow"
"Bitterness slowly crept into the marriage and by the time Lovborg was six years old his parents exchanged gunfire daily"
Yerps, just googled it to be doubly certain.
It's character driven, takes a while to sink in - the boss in particular is great - Chris Morris the great and provocative comedy genius behind Brass Eye and The Day Today.
Q: 'How do you start free improvising?'
A: 'Well I usually start on D as a matter of fact'
"I wandered alone in the desert and cried "Oh Lord! Oh Lord! What hast thou done, lately?"
"Thought is not a saffron-robed monk pissing in the snow"
"Bitterness slowly crept into the marriage and by the time Lovborg was six years old his parents exchanged gunfire daily"
Actually that was a live studio audience! That's how Graham Linehan operates. On your side of the pond you probably haven't heard of Father Ted which was his claim to fame.
Father Ted was very big over here. In that slice of America that cares for those things. Roughly the population of Craggy Island.
Lately my fam has been enjoying reruns of Malcolm in the Middle, which are now being shown on Nick most nights. I never saw the show when it was originally broadcast. Good stuff.
Originally Posted by patricia
Batter up!
